Feed and litter carrier.



PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907. H. L. FERRIS. FEED ANDLITTER CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.1B,190'1.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m: mmRls PETERS ca., WASHINGTON, n. c.

No. 866,269. PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

H. L. FERRIS. FEED AND LITTER GARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..1B.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS cm, wasnmcrau, n. c.

S I R R E F L FEED AND LITTER CARRIER.

APPLIOATIOH FILED MAB.18.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

.Z. Zrxd UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. FERRIS, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HUNT, HELM, FERRIS & COMPANY,

' A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FEED AND LITTER CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed March 18,1907. Serial No. 362,989-

' lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in feed and litter carriers, and is fully described and explained in the specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation showing my improvech feed and litter carrier in position upon a track: Fig. 2 is a similar elevation of one end of the carrier showing the container dumped and the manner in which it is released; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one end of the carrier frame and the tripping and locking mechanisms attached thereto; Fig. 4 is a detailed front elevation of one of the hangers and Fig. 5 is a detailed end elevation of the same construction.

Referring to the drawings, A is a suitable track preferably of round bar iron or steel which may be run as desired in the structure in which my improved feed and litter carrier is used. In ordinary practice the track may be set up with switching mechanism in the general manner indicated in my application filed on the 30th day of January, A. D. 1907, and allotted Serial Number 354,943 and certain portions of the mechanism, which will presentlybe described, are particularly adapted for cooperation with such a track and switch arrangement. It is quite possible, however, to use other forms of construction and while I prefer to use the one referred to, I do not intend in any way to limit myself thereto as it forms no part of my present invention. Upon track A run two pulleys, b, supported in hangers, B, each of which hangers has a vertical member, I), extending upward to the rear of its pulley and bearing at its upper end a trunnion upon which the pulley turns, a horizontal portion, 1), beneath the pulley and track, and two diagonally forward and upwardly projecting ears, b which guide a pin, 5 pressed upwards by means of a spring, 12 and capable of being drawn down by means of a handle, b The pins, 12*, it will be seen extend upward into close proximity to the rim of the pulley, b, the distance between the upper end of said pins when in their normal upward position and the rims of the pulleys being less than the diameter of the track so that it is impossible for the pulleys to run off the track unless the pin, b, be first depressed. When it is desired to run the carrier around a curve where it necessarily leaves the track,

as for instance in switching from one track to another,

means will ordinarily be provided as in my application aforesaid for automatically depressing the pins, b, but if desired these can be depressed by the use of the handles. The hangers, B, are pivotally secured to boxes, 0, which are rigidly secured to the opposite ends of a rod, D, which extends parallel to the track and beneath the same for substantially the entire length of the structure. The construction of these boxes may be varied considerably as desired and each has in the preferred first form of construction a channel, d, in its lower end suitable for the passage of the rope or chain.

E indicates a yoke shape frame preferably composed of outwardly facing channel iron between the lower ends of which frame is pivoted in unstable eqilibrium a container, F, of any form desired. The frame, E, carries near its two upper corners pulleys, s, secured to said frame by suitable brackets, and chains, E lead downward from a central point upon the rod, B, around the pulleys, a, thence upward and through the channels, d, provided for that purpose, and thence downward where they terminate in hooks, e, which can be engaged with the links of the chain so that the height of the container and its frame may be varied at will. When it is desired to adjust the height of the container or to raise or lower it for any purpose, the hooks, 0 are disengaged and the structure can be lowered or raised as desired,

the container and frame being secured in any new posi-- tion by merely engaging the hook with another suitable link of the chain.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will beseen that between the parallel webs of the yoke shaped channel-iron frame is pivoted, -on one sideof said frame, a catch, G, in the form of a bell-crank lever, one arm, 9, of said bell-crank lever extending outward horizontally from the pivot of said lever, and the other arm, g running downward betweentthe parallel webs of the channeliron frame and having at its lower end a pin, 9 adapted to engage with a suitable perforation provided to receive it in the container wall, and having also at its lower end an eye 9 adapted to be engaged by a spring, 9, fast on the yoke-shaped frame and adapted to hold the pin g normally in engagement with the perforation in the container wall. Higher up upon the same arm of the yoke-shaped frame a bifurcated trip arm, H, is pivoted the same being connected by means of a link, h, with the outwardly projecting arm, 9, of the bell-crank lever, G, so that upward movement of the free or bifurcated end of the trip arm, H, will throw the pin, g upon the bell-crank lever or catch, G, out of engagement with the container, and permit the container to dump automatically.

Longitudinally movable upon the track, A, is a tripsupport, I, in the form of an inverted U-shaped sheetmetal frame fitting over the track. A chain, 1, eX- tends downward from the trip-support to a point well below the lowest normal position of the trip arm, H. A stop is provided at the lower end of the chain, I preferably a hook, i, and above this stop is a spring, 1 upon which rests a tripping member I in the form of a flat disk movable vertically upon the chain, I.

The operation of the tripping mechanism can now be set forth and it will be readily understood from the foregoing description of its mechanical construction. The common practice in using these feed and litter carriers is to push them forcibly out of the barn so as to give to them suflicient momentum to reach the dumping point without the use of further power. At the point where it is desired to have themdump automatically, i, a, at a point ordinarily just over the wagon into which they are to dump, or just over the litter pile, the trip support I, is placed. As the carrier moves along on the track its forward hanger will run over the trip support, I, and take the position shown in Fig. 2, the chain, 1 passing through the hanger, this .will, of course, raise the tripping member 1 so as to pull it up against the lower surface of the bifurcated tripping arm, H, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the bifurcated tripping arm being placed in such position with respect to the hanger that the chain, 1 will pass between the furcations of the trip arm. The raising of the tripping member will, of course, raise the tripping arm, H, and release the container causing the contents to dump. Any remaining momentum of the carrier will be taken up in compressing the spring, I and to a certain extent by the spring g, and as soon as the carrier has dumped and the momentum has been completely absorbed by these springs, the springs'will give back the energy they have obsorbed and start the carrier back upon its return journey automatically.

When it is desired to adjust the height of the carrier as already set forth, the height of the tripping member can be varied by simply looping up the lower end of the chain, I and engaging the hook, t', with one of the higher links thereof, the spring and tripping member being simultaneously moved upward.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of this construction without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not intend therefore to limit myself to the specific form herein shown and described.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. The combination with a track, of hangers running upon the track, a non-rotating cross bar connecting the hangers, a frame, a container pivoted in unstable equilibrium in the frame, means for locking and releasing the container, chain-guiding devices at the upper end of the frame, chains running downward from the cross bar over the chain-guiding devices upward over supports at the ends of the cross bar and thence downward, and hooks at the ends of the chains adapted to engage various links thereof for purposes of adjustment.

2. The combination with a track, of hangers running upon the track, a container supported by the hangers and movable longitudinally upon the track therewith, means for locking the container in an upright'position, a flexible member depending from the track, and a trip member supported by said flexible member and adapted to engage the locking device when the container reaches a predetermined point upon the track whereby further movement of the container will operate said tripping member.

3. The combination with a track, of hangers running upon the track, a container supported by the hangers and movable longitudinally upon the track therewith, means for locking the container in an upright position, a flexible member depending from the track, and a trip member supported by said flexible member and adapted to engage the locking means when the container reaches a predetermined point upon the track, whereby further movement of the container will operate the tripping member, and a yielding resistance interposed between said tripping member and said flexible member, whereby the momentum of the carrier is stored in said resistance and returned to the carrier in the form of a motion in the opposite direction.

4. The combination with a track, of hangers supported by the track, a frame supported by the hangers, a container pivoted to the frame, a catch upon the frame and adapted to engage the container, a trip arm connectedwith the catch, a flexible member depending from the track and a trip member carried by said flexible member and adapted to engage the trip arm.

5. The combination with a track, hangers supported by the track, a frame supported by the hangers, a container pivoted in the frame and a catch mounted upon the frame and adapted to engage the container, of a trip arm having connection with the catch and bifurcated at its end, a flexible member depending from the track and a trip member carried by said flexible member and adapted to engage the bifurcated end of said trip arm.

6. The combination with a track, hangers supported by the track, a frame supported by the hangers, a container pivoted in the frame and a catch on the frame and e11- gaging the container, of a trip arm connected with the catch, a trip support mounted upon the track over which the hanger can pass, a flexible member depending from the trip support, and a trip member mounted upon said flexible member and adapted to engage the trip arm.

7. The combination with a track, hangers supported by the track, a frame supported by the hangers, a container pivoted in the frame and a catch mounted upon the frame and adapted to engage the container, of a trip arm connected with the catch, a flexible member depending from the track and a trip member adjustably supported upon said flexible member and adapted to engage the trip arm.

8. The combination with a track, hangers upon the track, a frame supported by the hangers, a container piv oted in the frame, and a catch upon the frame and adapted to engage the container, of a trip arm connected with the catch, a flexible member depending from the track, a trip member on the flexible member and adapted to engage the trip arm and a spring interposed between the flexible member and the tripping member to absorb the momentum of the carrier and return it in the form of motion in the opposite direction.

0. The combination with a track, hangers upon the track, a frame supported by the hangers, a container pivoted in the frame, a catch mounted upon the frame and adapted to engage the container, a trip arm connected with the catch having one end bifurcated, a trip support mounted upon the track over which the hanger can run, a flexible member depending from said trip support, a trip member adjustably mounted upon the flexible member and adapted to engage the trip arm and a spring interposed between said tripping member and said flexible'member to absorb the momentum of the carrier and return it in the form of motion in the opposite direction.

10. The combination with a track, hangers mounted upon the track, a frame adjustably connected with the hangers so as to be moved vertically with respect thereto, a container pivotally mounted in the frame'in unstable equilibrium, a catch mounted upon the frame and adapted to engage the container, a trip arm pivoted to the frame and having connection with the catch, a trip support mounted upon the track over which the hanger can 10 track, the same being operative below the raising and lowering means of the container, and when the container occupies varying vertical positions.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this sixteenth day of March, 1907 A. D.

HENRY L. FERR-IS.

In presence of- J. H. LANDES, R. A. SCHAEIIER. 

